Gaucho Wino
FNG
Would appreciate hearing opinions on what we should have done differently from this missed opportunity...
My buddy and I spotted 8 bucks in a basin last week about a mile away from our glassing spot. They were traveling from one basin to the next in what almost looked like a migration line and seemed very relaxed. At around 11a, they bedded down...four of them behind a willow bush and 4 in some nearby timber. Once bedded, neither of the two groups were visible. We left our glassing knoll and stalked within 250 yards directly below where they were bedded, and set up behind a rock formation. Not knowing precisely where in the timber the bucks were, and using treelines, gullies, and contours for cover, this seemed the safest way to get into rifle range without risking exposing ourselves. We sat behind the rocks for the rest of the day, waiting for them to get up from their bed, but they never presented themselves and eventually darkness set in and we crept back out. The next day after a morning and afternoon of glassing without spotting them, we walked back to their bed from the previous day and could see their tracks heading out, presumably under the cover of darkness the prior night to the next basin beyond. So the question is, after missing out on what seemed like an excellent spot and stalk opportunity, what should we have done differently?
My buddy and I spotted 8 bucks in a basin last week about a mile away from our glassing spot. They were traveling from one basin to the next in what almost looked like a migration line and seemed very relaxed. At around 11a, they bedded down...four of them behind a willow bush and 4 in some nearby timber. Once bedded, neither of the two groups were visible. We left our glassing knoll and stalked within 250 yards directly below where they were bedded, and set up behind a rock formation. Not knowing precisely where in the timber the bucks were, and using treelines, gullies, and contours for cover, this seemed the safest way to get into rifle range without risking exposing ourselves. We sat behind the rocks for the rest of the day, waiting for them to get up from their bed, but they never presented themselves and eventually darkness set in and we crept back out. The next day after a morning and afternoon of glassing without spotting them, we walked back to their bed from the previous day and could see their tracks heading out, presumably under the cover of darkness the prior night to the next basin beyond. So the question is, after missing out on what seemed like an excellent spot and stalk opportunity, what should we have done differently?
- Should we have set up in a different location to try and get a better view (back door them next time and/or set up more to the side rather than below)?
- Should we have tried to get them to stand or bust them out as daylight was starting to dwindle?
- Or did we do it right and it was just a bad break?
We were checking the wind and it seemed in our favor, but things can no doubt change quite a bit over the course of a day so that may have indeed been what happened. Next time we'll take a different angle...
